Steven:

Great find in these RGS photos! Thanks for sharing them on your site. A couple of points of clarification. The photos (especially photo #11 showing "R21M") clearly show the derailment occured exactly at Milepost 21 just North of Leonard.

I understand your narrative is taken from the RGS Story Vol. X however do we actually now the original source of this story? From the photos it appears that Superintendent Lee's relief train was just boxcar # 4035 and the Montezuma (Edna) unless the caboose mentioned was dropped somewhere else. The reference to the RR thinking the express man torched the wrecked train including the Alamosa (but not his baggage car) during the night is very interesting to say the least.

Now to add to what was one bad week for D&RG private cars I found this story from the Silverton Standard for May 18, 1912

Superintendant I. H. Luke of the Fourth division of the Denver & Rio Grande, and Conductor J. H. McHolland, escaped injury by a narrow margin Wednesday afternoon when the private car carrying Mr. Luke turned on its side and was dragged for a distance of seventy feet before the train was brought to a stop. The Jap cook on the private car received injuries when he jumped from the car, he is now in the hospital. The car left the rails about seven miles this side of Tacoma.


Rod